Losing Weight

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I'd like to lose 20-30 pounds and am wondering if anybody has any tips.

I've been watching calorie intake for a few weeks. I may be going a bit to the extreme... by the end of the day I end up with a head and tummy ache, so I end up eating later than I'd like.

Are there any really effective diets? Diet pills?


Success stories welcome.

DO NOT TAKE DIET PILLS

Yeah it might sound like a good idea as it'll 'aid' you in losing weight and it's such an easy way right? Just take a pill and *poof* you lose weight like magic.
It doesn't work like that.
They will f*ck you up. They're loaded with all kinds of bad stuff and will cause heart problems and liver damage among other things.

Do not take them.

Sorry if that sounds harsh, but I don't want anyone going through that.

Also, going extreme on the calories is a very bad idea.
What you're doing now is basically suicide for weight loss. When you eat too little, your body will sort of panic and go "oh no! THERE'S NO MORE FOOD!" and it will slow down your metabolism so it can hold on to what little food it gets longer.
Once you start eating normal again, your metabolism will still be slowed down and you'll just gain all that weight back again. And trust me, sometimes it can take a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong (did I say loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong? I meant *deep breath* loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong ) time for your metabolism to restore itself again and sometimes it never does.
The thing with the metabolism is why so many people 'jo-jo' with their weight.
It goes down when they diet, it goes up once they start eating normal again, and again they diet etc.

Not only will you slow down your metabolism, but you will also be prone to deficiencies.
As a girl, you'll especially be at risk for an iron deficiency which will drain you from all energy you'd normally have, make your hair fall out and just let's you feel miserable and cold.

Apart from that, eating so little might make you too restrictive and you might trigger anorexia.
Which is not something you'd want.

The best thing you can do is stick to a healthy diet (cut out all soda/pop, cookies, cake, basically anything that is void of nutritional value, replace it with whole foods like vegetables, fruit, whole grain cereals/bread etc.) and add about 30-60 minutes of exercise to it per day (with a break once or twice a week). If you're new to exercise you should start out with light exercise, like walking or cycling to build up a stamina. Swimming is very good too as you will work a lot of muscles. Dancing is another great way to get into shape.

I think what you could do is look at how much calories your eating right now... and see how much calories keep your weight stable. Once you've found that out, cut out around 200-250 calories from that amount. No more than that.
Though you should NEVER go lower than 1200 calories as your body will not be able to handle that (and actually I advice not to go lower than 1400-1600, you have to see 1200 as the absolute minimum (which you should avoid) as any lower it will be impossible to get enough nutrients in you through food).

Lifting weights can help too, as muscle burns more calories than fat and lifting weight helps build muscle.
But don't overdo it and make sure the weights aren't too heavy when you start out.
You can get 2-3 lbs dumbbells at any fitness store.


That's it for now, I just woke up so sorry if it's all jumbly and all over the place.

I've lost 50 pounds, over the last two years. Here's what I did:

Start by exercising 5-6 days a week (I walked a 5-mile route.)

Eat a balanced diet - make sure you get enough carbohydrates (for energy) & nutrients (for health) - it's almost impossible to *not* get enough protein - it's in every type of food, except fruit. (By the way, excess protein turns into fat - and it's also hard on your kidneys.) So steer clear of high-protein diets.

It really helps me to keep track of everything I eat - there are charts online that will tell you how many calories you need, based on your height & activity level. (1234's advice is spot on - 1,500 calories per day worked well for me.)

3,500 calories = 1 pound. If you burn 500 calories more than you eat every day (and you burn about 1,500 calories, just sitting around), in a week you will lose about 1 pound. It's totally possible to lose 25 pounds in 6 months this way. Just eat a sensible, healthy diet & exercise 6 times a week.

Just a couple of food tips.

Eat lots early and not much later.
That means, don't skip breakfast or lunch.
Have a BIG Breakfast and a Medium sized lunch. Have a small dinner.


Also...

Eat a lot constantly....but make sure that it's the right foods.
Breakfast Cereals, not waffles.
Fruit not chocolates.
etc.

Be careful of so-called health foods which aren't. Museli bars are a good example. Most are very bad for you.

One thing that worked for me was to make a rule - eg: I will only eat food that has a heart foundation tick on it.

Oh and switch to lite milk.... It's weird but it actually makes a difference.

You can still eat waffles, it just depends on what type.

E.g. eggo waffles = NO.
Sugar/fat laden waffles = NO

But if you'd make your waffles with skim/0% fat milk or a milk alternative (without sugar added), wholemeal spelt or barley flour and no sugar...
They'd be pretty healthy and would make a great filling breakfast.

A couple of years ago I was in a waffle phase and made those *every* day for about 1 1/2 years or so.
I had them for breakfast and often for dinner as well. But that's the only time I lost weight in a healthy way (I wasn't actively losing weight though mind you)
and when I went to check my blood (for deficiencies etc.) I was the healthiest I'd been in a long time.
Granted I also ate 1-2 lbs of vegetables a day, fruit smoothies, no refined sugars etc.
But waffles aren't always bad for you, it just depends on what you put in them:)

One more thing, lose the extra weight or inches slowly and keep them off. You should also have both cardio i.e. running and weight lifting components to your workout. Several years ago, it took me about 6 months to loose about 4 inches in the waist.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'm taking it all into account.

My mom goes to the gym very every week and she thinks that exercising is a good way to lose weight. I find that very effective as well.

In 2008 I lost 33lbs in weight. I am male and about 5 ft 11" tall and I weighed previously around 204lb and by the end of 2008 I weight about 171lb.

In metric terms I was about 92.5kg at the start and 77.5kg at the end, thus losing 15kg.

This was done by adopting a new lifestyle with regards to eating and exercise. During 2009 I have maintained this lifestyle and remain around the same weight. It goes up and down a little in waves but has never gone back over 79kg.

The key is cutting down on the quantities of foods that are bad for you. You don't have to cut them out completely, but you can often have a very small portion just to get the taste in your mouth.

The other key part was having an exercise routine. This enables you to burn calories quicker. It also makes you generally healthier.

DO NOT TAKE PILLS or diet supplements or anything like that. They don't work. Don't listen to those TV ads. They are trying to make money off desperate and ignorant people.

Do not go on a specialized diet such as no fat or no carbs or Atkins.

Keep the diet balanced with carbs, fiber and protein foods. Reduce but don't eliminate fats, and eliminate refined sugars (so no candy!! !). Eat more veggies and fruits.

There is no shortcut and there is no "trick". You simply need to eat fewer calories than you burn. That's all there is to it!

Keep a log of everything you eat (check out the one on www.livestrong.com ) and work out. Add up the calories and make sure they are below calories burned.

Start working out by walking a few miles every day and graduate to running 3-4 miles on soft surfaces. (Don't blow your knees!) Get a bike and bike 10+ miles as often as you can. Also try swimming. It is a no impact excersize and very effective.

The pills don't work in the long term. They block the fats from being absorbed in the small intestine. The fat drips out with the stool. Anyone taking those pills will gain back everything they lost, and then some, as soon as they stop taking them.

Most of today's pharmaceuticals are treatments and not cures. They are practically designed to be a life-long treatment. More money can be made that way.

There may be special diets for the obese who need to lose fat fast. It probably doesn't apply to you and if you were to undertake such a diet, it should be on the advice of a doctor, i.e. a regular medical doctor, not a special dietician.

When you lose weight, you lose some, then you plateau (i.e. you remain where you are for a while) then you lose some more. Don't give up or despair the moment you plateau, it happens to everyone.

Also don't be obsessed about continuing to lose more once you've hit your "healthy" weight. On the other hand don't feel the work is done at that point and you can go back to your old ways, as that will just cause you to go back to your old weight. Instead keep up a healthy lifestyle to maintain where you are.

Diet supplements: if they are natural and provide parts of your regular diet then that is fine, although generally you can find all the nutrients you need in normal foods.

Oh, thanks for your advice. I was thinking about losing weight too